Community and Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting - May 20, 2026
Community and Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting - May 20, 2026
The Community and Neighborhood Services Committee met on May 20, 2026, to consider the consent agenda, an information item on San Diego FC's community impact, annual maintenance assessment district (MAD) reports for Parks and Recreation and Economic Development, and recreation center fund budgets. The committee heard public testimony on multiple topics and voted unanimously on all action items, with Vice Chair Von Wilbert absent.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approval of the committee minutes from April 22, 2026. Passed 3-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
Non-Agenda Public Comment (before consent agenda):
- Madison urged opposition to AB 2697, which would allow marijuana drive-through sales, citing normalization, youth impact, and public safety concerns.
- Blair Beekman asked for a working group on IRA issues, addressing community differences and democratic processes.
- Becky Rapp noted that communities are asked to do more with limited funding and urged enforcement of laws against illegal flavored tobacco, kratom, and intoxicating hemp products to generate revenue for parks and recreation.
- Joyce Sanyata called for a unifying vision for San Diego's neighborhoods and budget, inspired by Council President Pro Tem Lee.
- Judy Strang thanked the committee for orderly meetings (contrasting with the county Board of Supervisors) and opposed expanding the marijuana business footprint due to youth mental health concerns.
- Tony criticized Flock license plate readers, citing a 0.1% efficacy rate and failure to prevent a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego; he argued the technology violates Fourth Amendment rights.
- Terry Anskelly supported citywide park development and requested smoke- and vape-free public places, noting that sidewalks near parks are not covered.
Public Comment on Consent Agenda:
- Blair Beekman spoke on the minutes, praising the San Diego River Conservancy presentation and asking for updates on homeless ordinance progress downtown.
Public Comment on Item 5 (San Diego FC):
- Joyce Sanyata praised the presentation and vision, but preferred the term "soccer."
- Francine Maxwell (Southeastern San Diego resident) appreciated the program and asked for an event promoting love across faiths.
- Blair Beekman asked for flexibility in public comment time and referenced recent tragic events.
- Tony expressed support for San Diego FC's community-building efforts.
Public Comment on Items 2 & 3 (MAD Annual Reports):
- Ben Nichols (Hillcrest Business Association) urged support, noting the MAD's success with trash pickup, tree wells, security patrols, and low overhead.
- Christopher Gomez (Little Italy Association) requested approval, highlighting the MAD's collaboration with a BID.
- Tony thanked the chair and councilmember Foster, praised the MAD program, and noted the learning curve for acronyms.
- Joyce Sanyata expressed unease about transparency of general vs. special benefits under Prop 218 but trusts the process.
- Blair Beekman cautioned against investing in surveillance tech (ALPRs) for parks and urged clear communication about biometric tech.
- Wesley Quatsch (City Heights CDC) detailed MAD services including litter abatement, graffiti removal, and landfill trips.
Public Comment on Item 4 (Rec Center Funds & Come Play Outside):
- Samantha Castranovo (San Diego native) urged keeping rec centers open longer and suggested an "adopt a rec center" naming rights program.
- Joyce Sanyata supported the budget, asked about monitoring of Community Recreation Groups (CRGs), and praised the Come Play Outside program.
- Tony supported the program, praised the presentation, and noted the value of deep sea fishing trips.
- Blair Beekman noted audio issues with the public microphone and urged transparency about biometric tech in rec centers and senior centers.
Discussion Items
Item 5: San Diego Football Club Community Overview Presentation (Information item only, no vote)
- Joel Katz (VP of Community Impact) and DK (Senior Director of Community Impact) presented SDFC's mission to be the epicenter of football excellence and innovation in North America. They highlighted community work including parks and pitches refurbishment (e.g., Colina del Sol, Willie Henderson Sports Complex), free youth programs, volunteerism, military outreach, and player engagement. The club's strategic pillars are infrastructure, health, and education, with a focus on community-centric, football-centric, consistent, and purpose-driven impact. Councilmember Campillo and Foster praised the partnership, with Foster noting full activation at Willie Henderson.
Items 2 & 3: Fiscal Year 2027 Maintenance Assessment District Annual Reports
- Michael Jones (Parks and Rec) and Rhea Aguinaldo (Economic Development) presented on the 64 MADs (54 Parks and Rec, 10 Economic Development). MADs fund above-city-standard improvements via property assessments. Proposed actions include approving annual reports, authorizing CFO to expend funds, and manual billing. For Economic Development, additional actions seek to waive council policy for Little Italy and Adams Avenue MADs to allow operating reserves below 10%. The committee heard staff presentation and public comment.
Item 4: Proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Recreation Center Fund Budgets, Opportunity Fund Budget, and 2025 Come Play Outside Report
- Sarah Irazzo (Deputy Director) and Salome Martinez (Program Equity Manager) presented. The 62 recreation center funds generate $5.4M in revenue, with $9.7M carryforward, proposed budget $9.5M, leaving $6.1M carryforward. The Opportunity Fund ($555,000, a 38% increase) will allocate $85,000 each to 14 sites (up from 11). The Come Play Outside program reached over 54,000 participants in 2025 through day camps, specialty camps, teen nights, Parks After Dark (36,000 attendees), and aquatic programs. Funding came from $2.1M in contributions. The program aims to expand in 2026 with a new community recreation needs assessment.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 (Consent Agenda): Approved 3-0 (motion by Campillo, second by Foster; Vice Chair Von Wilbert absent).
- Item 2 (Parks and Rec MADs): Approved 3-0 (motion by Campbell, second by Foster).
- Item 3 (Economic Development MADs): Approved 3-0 (motion by Campillo, second by Foster).
- Item 4 (Rec Center Funds & Come Play Outside): Approved 3-0 (motion by Foster, second by Campillo).
- Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 2 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, and welcome to the community and neighborhood services committee meeting of May twenty, twenty twenty-six. Our committee lays on Natalie Kessler will provide information and instruction for the public to participate in today's meeting. Natalie. Thank you, Chair. All members of the public are able to attend the meetings in person. This meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and Council Administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the virtual queue closes. The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes speaking or five minutes after in person testimony ends, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. Yes, I will now call the community neighborhood services meeting for today to order. And I will take the role. And we are going to have uh policy advisor Emily Pietanasi from the Office of Mayor Talk Gloria. She's just running a little bit late today. And then we have Deputy City Attorney Jane Boardman with the Office of the City Attorney. And we have Lizelle Gloria, committee consultant. Yay. And Natalie Kessler, also uh committee liaison. And so, Natalie, please continue with public comment instructions. I will now go over how the public can offer their public testimony during today's meeting. If you're in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of the committee room and place it in the tray indicated at the front of the room. Please submit your speaker slip in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. In-person testimony will conclude before virtual testimony begins, and members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage. To join the Zoom webinar by phone, please dial 1669-2545252. When prompted, the one the please input webinar ID 160429-1678 pound. This information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each agenda item. Please note that if you're watching via City TV Channel 24 or online, there may be a delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and meet your TV or computer when it is your turn to speak. If you wish to speak on a particular item, wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon, or if you're a call-in participant, press star and on your phone. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Chair. Thank you so much, Natalie. Uh a quorum is now present. And for the public's awareness, uh as well as our committee members. Just a reminder, we will be hearing items a little bit out of order today. We will first hear our consent agenda, and that will be followed by item five, which is the item uh on our information agenda. And after that, we will then continue with items two, three, and four. So once again, the order today will be item one, five, two, three, and four. We'll now take up non-agenda public comment. Council members respect and appreciate the public's input and are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights at council and committee meetings. Natalie, please proceed with non-agenda public comment. But within the subject matter jurisdiction of the committee, each speaker will have two minutes. And Chair, we have not received any speaker slips submitted here in the committee room, so we will move to the virtual queue. I've started the five-minute timer, and there are four hands currently raised in the queue. Madison, please unmute and provide your non-agenda public comment or call. Hi, thank you. Good afternoon, committee members. Today my concern is about the continued commercialization of marijuana in our communities. I want to urge your opposition to AB 2697, which would allow marijuana businesses to operate through drive-through windows, pass out windows, and slide-out trays. Allowing drive-through marijuana sales would further normalize the use of an intoxicating substance and make it feel no different than picking up fast food or a cup of coffee. For children and teens who are constantly watching the message adults and businesses send, this is a really bad idea.
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